It only took three and a half months, but I can finally say I finished my nightstand project! Thank goodness the Pinterest Challenge rolled around, because otherwise I’m not sure I would’ve ever completed it – thank you Sherry, Katie, Megan & Michelle for giving me the kick in the butt I needed to get this thing done.

I’ve needed a nightstand since I moved back to Philly in August. One side of my bed has a full-length mirror and the other, for over half a year, has had my patio table in place of a proper piece of furniture. Oops. The problem with putting something there temporarily is, that since it worked just fine, I wasn’t exactly motivated to replace it with something better. I decided quite a while ago (evidence) that I wanted to try and change up the well-known RAST dresser from IKEA. After looking over tons of inspiration, I decided on something similar to what Kate had done and written about on her blog here. I debated doing something with fabric, but I was more confident in my ability to use paint and stain; also, I loved how it looked (duh). My original pinsperation:

Let’s get right to it…here’s the before:

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And the after:

A slightly closer-up shot:

It’s currently proudly displaying Pinterest Challenge #1. Just like my last Pinterest Challenge, I’m really happy with the results. It wasn’t difficult, took very little DIY skill – this was my first time staining! – and the end result is just what I wanted. Here’s a quick rundown of how I completed the project:

1. Buy a RAST dresser at your local Ikea, as well as a small container of paint for the front of the drawers (I chose “Popcorn” by Martha Stewart), some stain in your desired color (I used a stain + poly combo to save time), a paint brush and a roller if you’d like. I used the box the dresser came in as a drop cloth of sorts
2. Put together the frame of the dresser, as well as the drawers, but keep them separate. Some people paint & stain the piece before assembling anything, but I did it afterwards and found it to be more efficient and easier that way
3. Paint the front and overhang of each drawer, and stain the frame portion. Try not to do what I did, and remember to stir the stain before applying
4. Let dry, and then finish assembling it. Put on whatever awesome knobs you found (the IKEA ones are lame) and you’re done!

How much moolah was it? The dresser was $35 and all the supplies, purchased together at Home Depot, came to $12.37. The knobs were $2.95 each at Anthropologie (on sale of course), which totaled $17.70. All together, the entire project cost $65.07.

Overall it was a very easy and surprisingly quick project. From the time I opened the box to the time everything began drying, it took no more than 2 hours (IKEA tip: I use this handy-dandy drill for all the screws that come with the furniture, and it easily saved me 15 minutes on this piece alone). Not to mention I was an idiot and completely forgot to stir the stain before applying the first coat. I was shocked how light the Ebony looked (why I didn’t know something was wrong earlier is mindboggling), but finished an entire coat before realizing what the problem was. I actually convinced myself that “stain darkens as it dries.” Case in point:

Yeah, clearly that’s not Ebony. I realized my mistake and stirred the can (with a chopstick…use what you got, right?) before applying a second coat. Unfortunately the stain was thicker than desired at that point, since I’d used a lot of the thinner liquid already, but it turned out just fine. I think if I hadn’t made that mistake the wood grain would’ve shown through a little more and the stain would’ve dried more evenly. But hey, I’m learning as I go.

And there you have it. A (long overdue) project complete, and one more Pinterest Challenge under my belt. Can’t wait for the next one!